NBC is Now Searching for Aspiring Female Filmmakers

NBC is now searching for aspiring female directors for their new program, NBC Female Forward.

NBC explains the initiative is “forges a path for female scripted series directors”.

About NBC’s Female Forward:

At NBC, we recognize that our industry can and needs to do more to have women represented in the director’s chair. With only 21% of scripted television episodes directed by women in the 2016-17 season*, now more than ever it’s important to provide talented female directors with the same opportunities as their male counterparts.NBC’s annual initiative Female Forward aims to solve that problem by giving female directors a pipeline into scripted television. We believe that collectively we can achieve gender parity among scripted series directors by systematically increasing the number of qualified women in the field.In the program, spearheaded by NBC President Jennifer Salke in partnership with acclaimed TV director Lesli Linka Glatter, selected female directors are given the opportunity to shadow on up to three episodes of an NBC series. Their experience culminates with an in-season commitment for each participant to direct at least one episode of the series she shadows.Female Forward will begin with the 2018-19 season on 10 NBC series with the intent of expanding the number of directors and shows in subsequent years.

The program joins NBC’s robust diversity and inclusion initiatives that under the leadership of Salke’s lieutenant Karen Horne have discovered and developed diverse onscreen and behind-the-scenes talent including Jenny Hagel, Lil Rel Howery, Mindy Kaling, Sharat Raju and Alan Yang.

To be eligible, applicants must:

Identify as female

Be able to legally work in the United States

Have directing experience in their respective fields including, but not limited to feature films, music videos, commercials, digital content and theater

Have no more than one scripted television directing credit to remain eligible

Submissions requirements are:

One letter of recommendation from an advocate of the director who is not a talent representative. Letters of nomination will not be accepted from anyone who works for or with talent, specifically managers, agents, publicists and lawyers.